weekend photo diary #1.

hamburgers, check.

fun in the sun, check.

the latter part of the 4th of july weekend was spent playing tourist. we got a couple of rooms in a hotel and hit the town. we did so much in a day that i'll probably break up the pictures into a few posts. still an overload of pictures to follow.

we headed out early to get good parking,

then set off to find breakfast. 

(dress, fighting eel)

ham & cheese crepe.

after breakfast, we spent several hours at the beach. the weather was nice and sunny, and the water was cool. no pictures taken since i was in the water.

next stop, coffee.

the international market place had so many goodies. tons of rings and jewelry and stuff, but i couldn't stop to look...the others wouldn't have it. apparently, they weren't on this mini vacay to shop.

 we headed to the hotel to see if we could check in early, but no such luck. we grabbed lunch and ate at the park.

some of the best burgers in town.

and who can resist this tree. i just had to get one swing in.

we went to the zoo to kill time, but that is a post in itself. pictures to follow.

finally, we were able to check in.

not exactly the lap of luxury, but it was free (paid with mileage) and served its purpose...a convenient place to sleep.

next stop: hotel pool, parade, and a movie on the beach.

stay tuned...

in case you missed it, check out the first part of the weekend:

stars stripes and tie dye

ease of wear.

easy does it for summer,

and this entire look is the epitome of ease.

here's the breakdown:

the dress:

i prefer a basic dress in a solid color. this one, by fighting eel, is one of my favorites. it's lightweight, and the off-the-shoulder look transitions perfectly from day to night.

casual with slippers, dressy with summer heels.

a simple tank maxi would work, too.

the hat:

a straw fedora, floppy, or boater...doesn't matter.

any of them will work. its main purpose, for me, is to cover up the wind blown hair after the beach.

the hair:

the best part about the beach is that the salty ocean and wind gives you perfectly tousled hair with a natural

hold. under the hat, these waves look great down and flowing or twisted into a simple bun.

the accessories:

it's a balancing game, but keep it simple.

i chose a big ring, then added a few understated pieces.

the shoes:

slippers for the beach.

summer wedges with a neutral sole like cork,

or anything woven like espadrilles. 

(dress, fighting eel; hat, f21; necklace, sister DIY)

holy mother of...shitzu.

ok, i knew these bad boys were gonna be big. but i didn't know they were gonna be that big. i thought my aldos, here, were high...but these jessica simpsons are towering. for a split second i thought about returning them, but they are comfortable and pretty stable because of the chunky heel. i really needed black shoes, but my size is hard to find...mainly in shoes, but rings and other things too...so when i actually find things in my size, i tend to snatch them up even when i don't need them. hate when i do this.

(jessica simpson dany platform; endless.com)

they were on sale at endless.com + free two day shipping!

another simple and easy fighting eel dress, like the ones here and here.

shop [oomph.] 

tis the season.

thanksgiving weekend continues with decorating the office before the employees get here on monday. decorating. gluing. glittering. tree gets re-shaped...tried a real tree at the office before, but the post-season clean-up was not fun. another favorite dress from fighting eel. it was hard to dish out two bills for something this simple, but considering the fact that i wear this at least once every weekend, it's well worth the price.

black friday continues with cyber monday at [oomph.]

happy shopping.

(dress, fighting eel)

don't fail me now.

ugh...just when i thought these boots were perfectly dinged, scuffed, and worn-in. i shrieked this morning when i put them on and thought my right foot touched ground. the 11" shaft height is proportionate to my height, and the smallish 13" circumference is just wide enough for tucked in jeans but slim enough where my legs aren't swimming. this alone makes finding boots an impossible task. the color is close to my skin tone helping to elongate when worn with shorter hem lines. add to that the chunky, lower heel, which makes them very wearable, and you've got my perfect boot. so until another one comes along, these will have to last.

(boots, nine west; tights, f21; top, fighting eel; cardi, shae)